Tag Archives: alcohol abuse

Advice for Friends and Family Considering Alcohol Intervention

This entry was posted in Addiction, alcohol intervention, Intervention and tagged , , , on by .

advice for alcohol interventionsFew things are more stressful than dealing with an addict. You feel obligated to care for the person you love as they grapple with their addiction, but you also need to take the time to nurture and care for yourself. Approaching the situation with understanding and a willingness to participate in the recovery process can both give you a way to help the addict you love, but can also help you to heal.

If you’re considering the idea of an alcohol intervention to get your loved one into treatment, the following advice can help you to balance out your emotions and to make the right decision towards help. For assistance in finding a local interventionist, call 1-888-605-7779 today.

Participate

Yes, you need to practice self-care and make your life a priority, but your participation will make a huge difference in your loved one’s recovery, so don’t disappear on them. Clinical experience indicates support from family and friends is an important component of recovery from alcohol addiction. Health providers consistently recommend it.

If you are uncertain about the role you can play or the support you should offer, call our helpline at 1-888-605-7779 for answers. We’ll help you to figure out how YOU can actively participate in helping your loved one to get into alcohol rehab through a carefully planned and executed alcohol intervention.

Be Patient

Overcoming an alcohol addiction is not fast nor is it easy. You will have to remind yourself that altering deeply ingrained habits takes time, is very difficult, and may require repeated efforts. If you’ve tried intervention before and failed, don’t be afraid to try again—a Systemic Family Intervention may be helpful in getting your family system to change and ultimately pulling the addicted individual along with you to make positive change.

Most people who are making a big change will face some backsliding; alcohol addiction recovery is no different. Even once you get your loved one to commit to rehab, the reality is relapse is always going to be a likely possibility. Don’t give up.

Most addicts have some degree of relapse during their recovery and it is not a signal of failure. Relapse merely points to the need for increased, modified, or reinstated treatment. If you are having trouble getting your loved one to accept that he or she needs continuing or modified treatment, an intervention can help. The interventionist will support you and provide helpful ways that you can get your loved one to commit to his or her recovery once again.

Pay Attention

It’s very easy to be angry when your loved one is in the throes of their addiction and then to remove yourself from the situation when they are getting better. Families often take recovery for granted not realizing the impact that this has on the addict. Whether you’re in the early stages of considering an alcohol intervention OR you’ve already tried to intervene and you’re considering what else can be done before life gets to rock bottom, your attention to detail will go a long way in helping your loved one.

Alcohol interventions begin with YOUR support. It all starts with YOU recognizing that your loved one is sick, needs help, and simply cannot get sober on his or her own. However, after alcohol rehab is over and the recovering individual in your life is making strides towards a sober lifestyle of his or her own it’s important that you pay attention when they are improving or making an effort. A word of acknowledgment and kind words of encouragement show that you care.

Need Help Finding an Interventionist?

For help finding an alcohol intervention specialist that can guide your family down the road of addiction recovery, call 1-888-605-7779. We can connect you with local interventionists that are ready to assist with the planning, execution and follow-up care that is required to help your loved one overcome alcohol addiction once and for all.

This Often-Ignored Disorder Can Lead to Future Drug Abuse

This entry was posted in Drug abuse and tagged , , , , on by .

Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is a condition where a person has frequent outbursts. These outbursts can be verbal and/or violent in nature. While no one understands what causes the disorder, it does seem to effect people under the age of forty and is most likely to surface in childhood. Little is known about the problem, therefore many people witness characteristics of the disorder in children and chalk it up to some sort of social problem, instead of acknowledging it as a disorder. And while there is not a lot of research on this problem, a new study has been released that shows people who suffer from IED are more likely to abuse drugs and/or alcohol than those that do not have IED.

“People don’t see this as a medical problem. They think of it as simply bad behavior they have developed over the course of their lives, but it isn’t. It has significant biology and neuroscience behind it,” explained Emil Coccaro, professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at University of Chicago and one of the authors of the study. In fact, according to recent data, approximately 16 million people in the United States suffer from this disorder. This is especially important as health officials; law enforcement and government leaders are scrambling to figure out an effective solution to the growing drug problem in this country.

The study was performed by using data from the National Comorbidity Survey, a national survey centered around mental health issues in this country. From the information gathered there, researchers were able to note that as a patient’s behavior worsened the tended to use more and more drugs and alcohol. This is likely because patients are seeking a way to control their behavior and are self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. However, researchers also point out that if they are given treatment for their aggression disorder they are less likely to abuse substances.

And while some patients use drugs despite their treatment for IED, the authors state that effective treatment of their disorder could prolong drug use, and make it easier to spot when drug use is occurring.